Second Chance
by RobinxRaven writer
Summary: After the final battle with the Brotherhood of Evil, Robin discusses Jinx's fate with the Titans.


Robin entered the interrogation room, setting down a bunch of folders and his coffee mug on the table in the center of the room. He pulled the metal folding chair out and sat down, letting out a deep breath as he did so. A tense, heavy silence settled in the air, and for a moment he simply stared across the table at the other occupant in the room. Jinx stared back at him, her hands on the table and handcuffs around her wrists. They both knew that the handcuffs were a formality; she could easily break them with her magic if she chose to. The fact that she hadn't broken out of them, or started any fights or caused any destruction in the Tower at all, was certainly odd, but he wasn't going to let his guard down either way. He noticed that she swallowed hard and her shoulders were tensed, but she kept eye contact nonetheless.

He hadn't even been aware that she'd joined their side in the final battle against the Brotherhood of Evil, or even that she'd followed them home and walked into the Tower alongside all the other honorary Titans. It had only come to _his_ attention when it had come to _Starfire's_ attention, whom had casually flown over to Jinx and asked, "So, have you come to turn yourself in?"

The room got incredibly silent as the all the Titans realized that a longtime enemy and borderline archnemesis was just casually drinking from a glass of water in the common room with everyone else after the final battle. In hindsight, when Speedy yelled "Get her!", it had been somewhat humorous to see a dozen superheroes dogpile her.

"Hold it!" Kid Flash had yelled, trying to get everyone's attention. "She's on our side! She's helping us out!" Everyone then turned to look at him, and he asked, "What? What's that look for?" He turned between everyone in the room. "I'm telling the truth."

"Yeah right!" Beastboy countered almost immediately. "She's been our enemy since practically day one. There's no way she'd just stop being evil."

"Kid Flash, don't you have any idea who she is?" Robin asked. "She's a criminal. She robs banks and steals jewelry for fun! She's destroyed public property, including this Tower, she-"

"I'm right here."

"QUIET!" Raven, Speedy, Aqualad, Bumblebee, Beastboy, and a host of others shouted at the same time.

"Hey, Robin. He's telling the truth. I can vouch for her."

Cyborg put his hand on Robin's shoulder, and he felt everyone's gaze shift toward him.

"She helped beat Gizmo and his crew, and Madam Rouge too. Jinx isn't here to fight."

Robin took a moment to compose himself, looking over towards Jinx. "We can't just ignore what she's done in the past. Raven, Star, take her to the interrogation room."

That had been only a few hours ago, and while Jinx was waiting to hear what happened next, Robin took down Kid Flash's and Cyborg's stories, then printed out the extensive criminal record that was attached to Jinx. And finally, while he got himself ready for the interrogation, he brewed a fresh pot of coffee. Flying for several hours across the globe to get back to Jump City had left him tired, but it appeared he wouldn't be getting to rest and relax anytime soon.

"Not your smartest move, Jinx, walking into the Tower like this." Robin said, breaking the silence.

"I'm not here to fight." She stated. Her gaze didn't falter, but it didn't hold any malice or hidden intentions, either.

"Then why did you come here?"

Jinx didn't answer immediately, and when she did she turned away. "I… Well, Kid Flash came and asked for my help against the Brotherhood, so I agreed. Afterwards, he just picked me up and carried me here." Robin saw the tinge of colour on her cheeks, and her voice lowered to mumble. "I didn't think much of it. I wanted to say goodbye to KF, but he's been distracted with everyone here. And some of the new heroes have been congratulating me, so-"

"You aren't one of us, Jinx." Robin quickly cut her off, his tone biting. He opened the files in front of him, then started reading: "Over two dozen confirmed robberies, plus countless links to others… destruction of public and private property, totaling upwards of fifteen-thousand dollars… known ties to many other criminals… No matter which way you look at it, you're a criminal."

"So what?" Jinx rolled her eyes, leaning backward in her chair and placing her hands in her lap. "Are you gonna arrest me and take me to jail? Take me back to the Brotherhood's secret lair and freeze me with all the others? Why bring this stuff up?"

"I wanna know why you've changed your ways." Robin answered smoothly. "Apparently you first ran into Kid Flash two months ago, which means you've been leading a normal life, or at least been in hiding." He leaned forward and put his elbows on the table, lacing his fingers together and putting them under his chin, keeping his gaze steady.

"Why should I have to explain myself to you?"

"Because it might work out in your favour." Robin replied. She raised an eyebrow, and he said, "For example, if you're flipping back and forth between a criminal persona and normal one, I can place you into a mental hospital. Granted, you'll be sedated so you can't use your powers, but it'll be better than prison."

"I don't have multiple personality disorder!" She screeched, making Robin raise a brow. Jinx took a deep breath, then quickly told him, "I _was_ going to join the Brotherhood of Evil, but Madame Rouge crossed me, and my…" She paused, trying to think of a replacement word for _friends_ , "...Previous allies didn't have my back. Along the way, Kid Flash had been trying to convince me of an alternative career path, and I decided to listen to him. That's all there is to it."

"No honour amongst thieves, eh?"

Jinx snorted. "Yep. I thought we were in it together, but those guys were…" Her lips twitched upward slightly for a moment, "Losers." She decided on.

Robin leaned back in his chair, grabbing the coffee off the table and taking a small sip. Another silence took root between them, and this time Jinx didn't try to maintain eye contact with him. "So are you trying to make amends? What's your plan here, Jinx?" He asked, dropping the edge from his voice so his question came across more honestly than accusatory.

She sighed, her shoulders drooping. "I don't know. I'm not exactly trained in the "hero ways". I'm sure you know that I've spent a lot of time going in the exact opposite direction." She motioned to the papers on the table between them.

Robin stood up, pushing in his chair. "Sit tight, I'll be back soon." He told her.

"Not like I have much of a choice."

He shook his head, and walked out of the interrogation room.

Once the door had closed behind him, he turned to see that Raven and Cyborg had been watching the conversation through the one way window into the room. He wasn't surprised, those two were often the ones to keep an eye on things when he questioned people at the Tower. Raven's natural empath abilities would help determine if the interviewee was lying, while Cyborg could analyze vital signs in case emotions weren't enough. Not to mention both were almost as good at reading others as he was. "What do you think?" Robin asked as they followed him out into the hall.

"Well, her story matches up with the one Kid Flash gave us." Cyborg said. "And it's like you said, she hasn't been breaking the law since she left her old pals." He paused, bringing a hand up to stroke his chin. "And plenty of people saw her fighting the Brotherhood. I think… I think we should give her a chance." Cyborg admitted. "With her powers, Jinx'd make a good ally."

"After a thousand hours of community service." Raven added.

"You think we should give her a chance too?" Robin asked, somewhat incredulously. When they'd fought in the past, partly because of their powers he assumed, Jinx and Raven went after each other first in battle.

Raven hesitated, looking back towards where Jinx was, as though she were looking at her through the walls. "I dunno. I think there's something she's not telling us, but…"

"But?" Cyborg and Robin prodded.

"I've never given it too much thought, but when we fought before, her heart never seemed in it. Like she was fighting because she had no other choice." Raven said. "Right now, she's… depressed. Which is weird. You'd think she would be angry or worried, or trying to come up with a way out, but she's just sitting there upset."

Robin looked at Cyborg. "Can you keep an eye on her for a moment?" I want to confirm something with Kid Flash." Cyborg nodded, so he turned and said to Raven, "Come on."

They found him still in the common room, speaking with Mas and Menos at such a quick pace that to others it sounded like utter nonsense. But when he saw Robin, he zipped over to him and quickly asked, "So, what's the deal?"

Robin exchanged a glance with Raven, then asked, "Jinx said that you're the one who convinced her to quit the life of crime. Know what she means by that?"

Kid Flash blinked. "She said that? Jinx told me once that she thought she was never meant for good. Y'know, cause of the whole "bad luck" thing?" He shrugged. "I told her she was wrong, and that I thought she was better than she gave herself credit for."

"Do you think it's just that?" Raven asked.

"Well, she _did_ look up to Madame Rouge. But when they met, Rouge was… well, not impressed. You already know that they fought, and I guess that was another part of her leaving. Guess having her idol put her down didn't do much for Jinx's ego."

"Hm. Alright, thanks." Robin said. He turned around and started back to the interrogation room, but stopped when Kid Flash called out to him.

"Wait, what's gonna happen to her?"

Robin turned around, and wondered if the fidget he saw was due to the speedster's energy or genuine concern. "I haven't made up my mind yet." He answered. He turned around and continued out the door, down the hallway and into the elevator. Once he and Raven were both inside, he pushed the button and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You know," Raven pressed the button to the top floor, intending on going to her room, "He was casual about it, but he really cares for her." She said simply. Raven could still feel the warmth in Kid Flash's emotions when he'd told them the truth about why he was helping Jinx.

"And?" Robin asked, not sure what her point was.

"Well, a little belief in someone can go a long way." She answered. When Robin got the reference he turned to her and smiled, which she returned. "If she went into crime because she thought she wasn't good for anything else, and then someone came along and tried to convince her that she was worth more than that… if you were in Jinx's shoes, wouldn't you want to try turning over a new leaf?" Raven asked him quietly.

Robin didn't answer as he pondered her question, and he got out of the elevator when the doors opened. Raven stayed in, and he walked on to the interrogation room by himself, stopping beside Cyborg. For a moment they watched Jinx, who took Robin's mug and drank from it. The sight made Cyborg smirk, but Robin only rolled his eyes. "Now that's the tipping point." Cyborg said. "You were on the fence about her before, but she stole your coffee - and that's just unforgivable." Cyborg turned to walk away, putting a hand on Robin's shoulder. "Go easy on her, okay?"

His request made Robin's gaze on Jinx intensify, and when Cyborg left, he took a deep breath to compose himself before walking back into the room.

Jinx sat up, and it was obvious to see that she was tense. If he could see under the table, he'd see that Jinx's leg was bouncing with a nervous energy.

As that was, Robin chose not to sit, instead standing behind the chair he'd been sitting in previously. He pursed his lips, then started reaching into his utility belt. He pulled out a little black box with two velcro straps on the sides. "You know what this is?" He asked as he held it up.

"Is is a tracker?" She asked.

Robin nodded. "Raven and Cyborg seem to want to forgive you, but I don't think Beastboy agrees with them. I'm on the fence, but I'm sure Starfire would be willing to forgive you, too. So congratulations!" He placed the tracker around her wrist, then took a key out of his belt and undid the handcuffs around her wrists. He started gathering all the files on the table, then picked up his mug. "Though you aren't getting off scot-free. You'll be doing _a lot_ of community service, under surveillance of one of the Titans. You'll also be giving weekly reports, and soon you're going to help us find any secret villain lairs in and around Jump."

Jinx swallowed, then nodded. "Sounds fair."

He motioned for her to follow him, and he led the way to the elevator. They got inside, and Robin pressed the button that would take them back up to the common room.

Once the door closed, Jinx cleared her throat, and Robin turned to look at her. "Uh… thanks for not putting me in prison… or worse." She mumbled, bringing up one hand to examine the tracker on her wrist.

"No problem." He replied, and soon the doors opened. Once they went to the common room, he let her and Kid Flash talk while he went to the island counter, setting his folders down and refilling his mug. Starfire and Beastboy walked over to him, but there gaze was on Jinx and Kid Flash leaving.

"So I take it we are no longer enemies with Jinx?" Starfire asked, her usual cheery tone replaced with a more serious, questioning one.

Robin shook his head. He turned his gaze to the door, and just before it closed behind Jinx and Kid Flash, he saw her reaching for his hand. "We'll see how things play out for now." He lifted his mug up, gently blowing before taking a sip. "But I don't think we'll have to worry about her too much."

~Second Chance~

A/N

I remember when I first saw that flinx episode and was blown away by how Jinx saying "I'm bad luck, good was never an option for me" gave her so much character for me. It makes me want to write some more flinx stuff (or just stuff about Jinx), but I'm not sure what those would be.

I hope I did a good job of keeping both her and Kid Flash in character.

This story was originally going to be more robrae than flinx (the whole "somebody believed" thing was going to be a much bigger part in shaping Robin's judgement), but I ultimately decided to have the romance between these characters be more of a background element. I rewatched the season 5 finale, and it made me laugh to see Jinx chilling amongst all the Titans after beating the Brotherhood of Evil. Like no one noticed that a long time foe was just hanging out with them.

I can't wait to see Jinx and KF's relationship explored in sea- OH WAIT


End file.
